This document outlines a workshop on navigating organizational politics. The workshop will discuss identifying organizational boundaries, assessing methods for navigating politics, building trust, overcoming obstacles, stakeholder involvement, understanding positions and interests, collaborative negotiation techniques, and combating territoriality. The goal is to help participants effectively communicate across boundaries to achieve business results.

1. October 23–25, 2014
DO YOU KNOW WHO IS MOVING YOUR CHEESE?
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Lonney Gregory
Nannette Kelly
Shanna Travis

2. Why do I feel this way?
2
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

3. 3
Split decision
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

4. 4
Me against you hmmmm??
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

5. Increase your ability to communicate and negotiate effectively
across organizational boundaries to get things done.
Tell Stories
Share Ideas
Build Trust
Overcome
Barriers
Assess methods for navigating corporate politics
5
OR
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Understand
Others
Achieve Together
Fabricate Stories
Create Conflict
Simulate Trust
Create Alliances
Manipulate
Others Coerce
and Deflect
Goal

6. • Formal and informal
6
Definitions
Organizational Boundaries
organizational and project
structures that drive individual
and group behavior to
achieve outcomes in support
of stated and implied
organization objectives.
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Organizational Politics
• The pursuit of individual
agendas and self-interest in
an organization without
regard to their effect on the
organization's efforts to
achieve its goals.
• Organizational politics are
informal, unofficial, and
sometimes behind-the-scenes
efforts to sell ideas,
influence an organization,
increase power, or achieve
other targeted objectives. [1]

7. Typical Organizational Boundaries or
Political Drivers
Created by
knowledge, norms
or attitudes in
groups formed
around shared
expertise and
experience or
resources.
7
Organizational
Boundaries
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Created by
emphasis on
compliance with
shared rules and
standard
operating
principles
Created when
individuals develop
and use power
toward shared
goals
Created by distances,
including time zones,
geographic environment,
and/or language
Created by persistent differences
between groups/individuals over
values, norms, customs, and
traditions

8. Model: Cornerstones of Trust
8
Trust
Expertise
Reliability Authenticity
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Good Will

9. 9
Two Paths to Progress
Objections
Investigate
Individual
Issues
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Take
Action
Make
Progress
Barrier
Obstacles
Investigate
Systems
Issues
Take
Action

10. Obstacles –
Can’t Do’s
10
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Objections –
Won’t Do’s
“I do not have the authorization
to…”
“I do not have the resources to…”
“The current equipment cannot…”
“I have not been trained to…”
Investigate Systems Issues
Using:
• Systems Thinking
• Analytic Skills
• Quality Tools
• Upward and Peer Influence
“I don’t see why I need to…”
“I don’t think it will work if I do
that…”
“It’s not my job to…”
“I see unintended consequences if
I…”
Investigate Individual Issues
(Value based) Using :
• Feedback Tools and Methods
• Coaching Skills
• Communication Skills

11. Stakeholders can:
Stakeholder Make Help Permit Questions Unaware Action Step Story Element
11
Stakeholder Involvement
Make things happen
Help things happen
Let things happen
Have questions
Be unaware
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

12. Understanding the Larger Context
12
Facilities
HR IT Strategy
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Customer
Service

13. 13
Positions and Interests
Positions
Stated requirements Behaviors
Known
Unknown Underlying Interests
Hidden agendas
Company goals
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Unstated needs
Organizational culture
Concerns and feelings of risk
Personal values and beliefs
Likes/dislikes
Assumptions
Motives
Unconscious tendencies

14. 14
The Landscape of Conversation
Atmosphere
(Context)
Terrain
Subterrain
Situation
Time Place
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
General
Conditions
Verbals
Inferences
Non-Verbal
Actions
Assumptions
Values /Beliefs
Attitudes
Fears and Needs Core

15. 15
Collaborative Negotiation
Framing
Fostering
Finalizing
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

16. 16
Three Keys to Success
Content/
Process
Distinction
Building
True
Agreements
One
Conversation
at a Time
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

17. Guidelines: Combating Territoriality
• Ask good questions
• Reach rather than teach a solution
• Appeal to individual or group ability/desire to
reason
• Train yourself to assume reasoning ability is
present
17
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

18. • Don’t jump to conclusions
• Blame territorial instincts, not people
• Ensure no one feels attacked
• Avoid generalizations
• Embrace the “irrational” as well as the rational
• Respect each individual’s perspective
• Try to see it from the other’s point of view
18
Suggested Ground Rules
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

19. 19
The Presence Tool
Openness PRESENCE
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro

20. Goal
Business Results
20
Listen Well
Build Trust
Behavior
Illustrate ideas
and share stories
Boundary
Identification
Do You Know Who is Moving Your Cheese:
Navigating and Surviving Organizational Politics Like a Pro
Know
Stakeholders
Plan
Conversations
Limit
Negotiations